One of the most acclaimed Russian works of literature, Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev is a philosophical fiction cutting across a wide-ranging spectrum of societal institutions. The novel depicts a generational conflict between the Russian aristocrats (fathers) and the radicals (sons) that painted a political and social portrait of nineteenth-century Russia. When the character of Bazarov expresses dissent against authority and social conventions at his friend Arkady's place, a fire of misunderstandings and quarrel breaks out, leading to a revolution. Bazarov established a nihilistic temperament and an ardent rejection of authority, which provoked controversies over Turgenev's head. The novel not only remains a Russian classic but endows a possibility for families today to empathise with the symbol of 'fathers' and 'sons' in ideology. The novel's narrative is driven by existential tones and influenced by political calamities. The novel is the first Russian work to gain prominence in the Western world, followed by Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818–1883) was a Russian novelist, poet, and playwright known to be the pioneer who paved the way for Russian literature around the world. Born to a wealthy family in the Russian Empire, he studied philosophy at his university in Berlin. His father was a landowner who died when Ivan was 15, and his mother was abusive and exploited the serfs who worked for them. This embedded in him exuded a sense and need for justice and thus became an ardent spokesperson for Russian political issues of the peasantry and ideological dichotomies. He leaned towards the western ideological elements, which were opposed by Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Nevertheless, he remains an essential nineteenth-century Russian author. The novel Fathers and Sons is a testament to his success. His major works include the short-story collection A Sportsman’s Sketches (1852) and the novels Rudin (1856), Home of the Gentry (1859), On the Eve (1860), and Fathers and Sons (1862). Turgenev died by spinal cancer in France, in 1833, aged 64.
